Chapter 372: It’s Too Late to Order a Withdrawal

In the battle of Suifengbao, 20,000 Persian cavalrymen of the Arab Empire were completely annihilated, and the main general Saleh, deputy general Omar and Rashid died in the battle. Two hundred copper cannons and countless baggage and food fell into the hands of the Tang army.

After the war, Chen Huaian, the Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, who personally commanded the Tang army in Suifengbao, did not stop and rushed to Huoshiwan, another important town in the Varahan Corridor.

Another day later, Caesar, the right vanguard general of the Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition Army, who had no idea that the imperial reinforcements had been wiped out in Suifengbao, led more than 20,000 Persian war elephants and camel cavalry of the Empire and officially arrived at the east side of Huoshiwan Pass.

When Caesar, the right vanguard general, saw the ten Tang Navy warships lined up outside the Huoshiwan city wall, he was also shocked and speechless.

The imperial Eastern Expedition Army under his command, which had traveled a long distance, was also frightened by this scene and did not dare to fight easily.

However, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian, who had already summoned heavy troops in Huoshi Bay, did not give the enemy's right vanguard general Caesar a chance to breathe. He concentrated the superior forces in Huoshi Bay, used the red cannons of the Shenji Camp as cover and deterrence, and took the initiative to attack the enemy's Persian war elephants and camel cavalry outside the city.

Under the deterrence of the red cannons, the enemy's right vanguard general Caesar, who knew he was no match for the enemy, decisively issued an order to retreat after leaving a team of soldiers to cover the rear.

Compared with the fierce battle of the Suifeng Fort, the Battle of Huoshi Bay was much more bland.

The Tang army stationed in Huoshi Bay ended the Battle of Huoshi Bay in an almost bloodless way, capturing more than a thousand enemy war elephants and camels and annihilating thousands of enemy troops.

In the end, the Arab Empire's strategic deployment of about 50,000 troops to cooperate internally and externally to reopen the Varahan Corridor, a land passage connecting the Arab Empire and the Western Regions, ended in failure.

The news of the Arab Empire's defeat was brought back to the Central Army Tent of the Empire's Eastern Expedition Army by Caesar, the enemy's right vanguard general who fled all the way from Huoshi Bay to the Black Tiger City of Huihe that night, and a detailed report was made to the Eastern Expedition General Turhong.

At this time, a full half month had passed since the 700,000 Arab Empire troops went to the Eastern Expedition to Huihe and fought a bloody battle in Princess City.

The approximately 600,000 Arab Empire Eastern Expedition Army trapped in the three cities of Black Tiger, Meijian, and Khatun of the Huihe Khanate, as well as the vassal coalition forces of the Western Regions, had completely fallen into the dilemma of food shortage after having their last dinner this evening.

The overwhelmed Empire Eastern Expedition General Turhong not only failed to wait for the news that the reinforcements had reopened the Varahan Corridor, but instead waited for the news that the Empire's army was defeated in Suifengbao and Huoshi Bay.

For a time, the Central Army Tent of the Eastern Expedition Army was furious and rebuked.

"Caesar, what did you say? The imperial army was defeated by Varahan, but the Tang Dynasty actually moved the navy warships to the plateau and equipped them with new copper cannons?"

On the main seat in the tent, the face of Turhong, the general of the Eastern Expedition of the empire, had a ferocious expression and eyes as wide as cow's eyes, as if he wanted to eat Caesar, the right vanguard general of the army that he had promoted, alive.

Turhong continued to scold loudly: "Caesar, tell me, there are no rivers or lakes on the Pamir Plateau. How did the Tang Dynasty defenders in Huoshi Bay move the huge navy warships to the plateau?"

"Could it be that the navy warships of the Tang Dynasty, like their soldiers, are bird ships with wings and can fly by themselves?"

"General, I——"

The right vanguard general Caesar knelt in the central army tent, as if he himself did not believe what he had witnessed at the Huoshi Bay Pass;

But the fact is that the Tang Dynasty navy warships equipped with "copper cannons" clearly existed and shone brightly on the battlefield. ;

After thinking for a long time, Caesar had to bite the bullet and replied: "General, I think that the warships of the Tang Navy that appeared out of nowhere at the Huoshi Bay Pass should be the products of the Tang soldiers who worked day and night after occupying Huoshi Bay;"

"After all, there are many tall trees in the hills around Huoshi Bay. The Tang soldiers guarding the city must want to use such tricks to disrupt the morale of our imperial army;"

"Otherwise, I really can't think of any other possibilities that would allow the Tang army stationed in Huoshi Bay to transport the navy's warships to the plateau without rivers, seas, or lakes in a very short time!"

Bang!

After hearing Caesar's answer, Turhong became even more angry and slapped the teacup in front of him on the table to pieces.

Then, he roared in anger: "Since you already know everything, the warships that appeared on the plateau are just a trick of the Tang army, so why retreat without a fight?"

"Don't you know that the army's food and grass are already in urgent need?"

Turhong continued angrily: "This general tells you that after the army finished its last dinner this evening, the 600,000 troops in Black Tiger City, Meijian City, and Khatun City have run out of food;"

"Next, if you want to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army, you can only slaughter the war horses!"

"As the right vanguard general of the empire's eastern expedition, do you know what it means to slaughter war horses to satisfy hunger?"

"This general..."

Turhong's angry rebuke like a string of cannonballs made Caesar, the right vanguard general who had retreated without a fight in Huoshi Bay, feel even more guilty, and buried his head deeply.

On the throne, the furious General Turhon of the Eastern Expedition might have found it difficult to vent his anger while sitting and scolding him. Later, he stood up directly and came to the kneeling Caesar, pointing at his nose and scolding him.

If it weren't for the fear that beheading on the battlefield would shake the morale of the army, Turhong would have wanted to order the right vanguard general Caesar to be dragged out and beheaded based on Turhong's current thoughts.

However, for the Imperial Eastern Expedition Army trapped in the Uighur Khanate, cutting off the head of a right vanguard general would not solve the problem at this time.

Finally, Turhon said sternly: "Caesar, the right vanguard general, retreated without a fight in the Battle of Flint Bay and missed the opportunity to fight, causing the empire's Eastern Expedition army to fall into a passive food shortage situation;"

"According to the military regulations of the Abbasid Dynasty, Caesar, the right vanguard general, should be executed for his fear of war;"

"However, I, the general, think that you have fought hard for the dynasty in all over the world over the years, and have no merit but hard work. For the time being, I will spare your life for your crime and meritorious service;"

As he spoke, Turhon shouted loudly: "Caesar, the guilty general, obey your orders!"

"The general is here!"

Turhong said expressionlessly: "This general will immediately organize you into a death squad. Tomorrow, I will personally lead a large army of death squads to be the first to attack Harabalegas, the capital of Uighur. If the city cannot be broken, you will be on the battlefield on your own. By ending it, we can finally do our part for the Abbasid Dynasty!”

"The general will get the order!"

"Back off!"

"Yes, General!"

Soon, Caesar, the despairing right vanguard general, withdrew from the central tent like a defeated rooster.

After he left, Turhun, the great general of the Abbasid Dynasty's Eastern Expedition, finally calmed down and returned to his former wise and mighty demeanor.

Turhong said to the other imperial generals present: "Everyone, whether you want to admit it or not, the military campaign of the empire's 800,000-strong army to conquer the Tang Dynasty has ended in complete failure at this time;"

"The Tang Dynasty in the east of the empire is by no means any opponent that the Abbasid Dynasty has faced in previous campaigns. Their great emperor Chen Huaian is quite outstanding in terms of strategy and military command ability;"

Eh——

After Turhong sighed, he continued: "In order to preserve some strength for the Abbasid Dynasty and prevent the 800,000 imperial army from the Eastern Expedition from being completely destroyed in the Uighur Khanate in the Western Regions;"

"This general has decided that early tomorrow morning, after the guilty general Caesar leads the coalition of Western countries that vassalized the Abbasid dynasty, and takes the initiative to launch an attack on the capital of the Uighur Khanate, the 500,000-strong Imperial Eastern Expedition Army will immediately retreat along the Walahan Fight all the way back down the corridor!”

"As for the full responsibility for the failure of the Empire's Eastern Expedition, this general will personally meet with the Caliph after returning home and bear full responsibility for the failure of the Eastern Expedition!"

"That's it, everyone can make arrangements for the withdrawal of troops!"

"The general will get the order!"

...

Turhun, the general of the Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition, naively thought that the Western Region was a place where he could come and leave whenever he wanted.

But Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian, who was determined to conquer the East and vowed to plant the battle flag of the Tang Dynasty in every inch of land where the Tang army reached, how could he let him do so?

At this time, it was a God-given opportunity to "take advantage of his illness and kill him" to annihilate the hundreds of thousands of Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition troops trapped in the Uighur Khanate, which was equivalent to cutting off an arm of the Abbasid Caliph Safah. , to reduce the resistance of the Tang army in the future Eastern Expedition.

After Chen Huaian commanded the Tang army and won great victories on the two battlefields of Suifengbao and Huoshi Bay, he immediately assembled heavy troops and marched in three directions towards the three cities of Heihu, Meijian and Kedun, assuming an encirclement posture.

"Report——"

"Informing the Emperor, the champion Hou Huo Qubing has led an army of 200,000 troops to Meijian City in accordance with the Emperor's deployment;"

"Report——"

"Reporting to the Emperor, General Zhao Zilong, the leader of the Royal Forest Army, has led an army of 200,000 to approach Ketun City in accordance with the Emperor's deployment;"

"Report——"

"Report to your Majesty..."

The messengers came one after another on horseback, bringing the latest information about the Tang army in the Western Regions. The situation in the entire Western Region has been completely controlled by Chen Huaian and the Tang army, and everything is moving in a good direction.

While Chen Huaian was personally commanding operations at Suifengbao and Huoshi Bay, all the thirty-five countries in the Western Regions that had betrayed the Tang Dynasty and turned to the Abbasid Dynasty had been conquered by the Tang army.

As long as the more than 600,000 troops under Turhong's command can be completely annihilated according to the predetermined battle plan, the entire Western Region will completely become the actual control area of ​​the Tang Dynasty.

In the next step, Chen Huaian can implement the reform of separating military and political affairs in the countries in the Western Regions without any worries, and completely control the land Silk Road in the hands of the Tang Dynasty.

Chen Huaian finally decided to rush to Black Tiger City in person to meet Turhun, the legendary first warrior of the Abbasid Dynasty and the Eastern Expedition General of the Arab Empire.

The next day.

It is the first day of September in the first year of Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty.

Outside the Black Tiger City of Uihe, dark clouds were pressing down on the city, a gloomy wind was blowing, and the chilling atmosphere before the decisive battle permeated the entire Arab Empire army in the Black Tiger City.

In particular, the officers and soldiers from the vassal armies of the Western Regions who were incorporated into the death squads all had their heads drooped and looked bitter and resentful, as if their fathers were dead.

Among them was Thebis, the exiled king of Wusun.

Speaking of which, Tibes can be regarded as a figure who can "leave a name in history". He was originally the king of a small and unknown country among the 36 countries in the Western Regions, but he became the troublemaker who stirred up the situation in the Western Regions by mistake, and directly promoted the direct confrontation between the Tang Dynasty and the Abbasid Dynasty, two super-large empires in the East and the West.

However, Tibes is now worried.

Yesterday, when he received the order from General Turhong, asking Tibes and the other soldiers of the Western Regions in Black Tiger City to join the vanguard army (actually the death squad) with Caesar to attack the Uighur capital Harabalegas;

Tibes knew very well that these soldiers of the Western Regions who bowed to the Arab Empire had been abandoned by General Turhong;

In name, they took the initiative to attack the Tang army in the Uighur capital, but in fact, they were asked to block the pursuit of the Tang army and buy time for the imperial army to retreat westward.

At this moment, the disheartened Tibes actually missed the days when they had the Tang Dynasty as their suzerain.

In fact, it was not only Tibes who missed it. The vassal soldiers of the Western Regions in the three cities of Heihu, Meijian and Khatun also missed the days when they had the Tang Dynasty as their suzerain.

Whether it was Chen Huaian, the King of Jin at the time, or Chen Huaian, the Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty who later founded the country, they all adopted a conciliatory policy towards the Western Regions. They also provided the greatest convenience for various taxes on the Silk Road in the Western Regions, and never asked the vassal states to send troops to assist the Tang Dynasty in its conquest.

At that time, the Western Regions were full of singing and dancing, drinking and having fun every day.

Now, under the majesty of the Arab Empire, the Western Regions had to betray the Tang Dynasty and join the Abbasid Dynasty. They have already become a purgatory on earth.

Not only did good men from various countries die in the daily battles;

Even their homes were raided by the Tang Dynasty army, and they had to rely on the Arab Empire army on the eastward expedition to help the tyrants and live a life like a walking corpse;

Looking back on all this, it was all the fault of King Tibis of Wusun.

Everyone was eating hot pot and singing songs, but you had to go to the Arab Empire outside the Western Regions to interfere, under the pretext of avenging your wife, but you dragged the monarchs, ministers and people of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions into a quagmire of no return.

Damn Tibis, sooner or later he will be pierced by thousands of arrows and trampled to death on the battlefield!

Before the expedition, the vanguard soldiers who were gathering on the parade ground in Black Tiger City cursed King Tibis of Wusun who brought disaster to the Western Regions.

Boom!

Suddenly, there was a thunderbolt in the sky above Black Tiger City, and it was going to rain!

However, the trumpet of the expedition was not sounded, and the order for the vanguard army to set out was also delayed.

Seeing that it had been a long time since the expedition, the vanguard army on the parade ground still did not move, which made the generals in the vanguard army begin to wonder.

Little did they know that Turhong, the general of the Arab Empire's Eastern Expedition, who was sitting in the central army tent of Black Tiger City at this time, was facing the darkest moment of his more than 30 years of military career.

Scouts in front reported that a large number of Tang troops were rapidly gathering towards Black Tiger City.

Turhong knew that it was too late to withdraw at this time!